Philanthropic attorney hopes others will learn to think for themselves

Western Carolina University alumnus Gaither Keener had always wanted to attend law school. He achieved his goal in 1977 when he graduated from the Wake Forest University School of Law. Joining the firm of McElwee Hall McElwee in North Wilkesboro, Keener tried civil and criminal cases in state and federal courts, even arguing a case before the Supreme Court in 1987, the same year he transitioned to Lowe’s as the company’s first in-house attorney.